6. Will the First Minister provide an update on the urban centre property enhancement fund in the Bridgend local authority area? OQ57768

Llywydd, the fund to which the Member refers ended in April of last year. Its successor programme includes an expanded list of ways in which funding can be applied to urban centre improvement, and that investment continues to be available in the Bridgend county borough.

I thank the First Minister for that answer. I was recently contacted by Nadim, who was awarded a grant from the fund to renovate his business, Zia Nina, in Bridgend town centre. After the awarding of the grant, Nadim began the necessary work, including planning and architectural designs, but has struggled to find builders to complete the work on time due to difficulty in acquiring the necessary materials. He has now been instructed by Bridgend County Borough Council to complete the work by the end of this month, which is not possible due to builder delays. Paragraph 3.3 of the September 2021 report into the scheme stated that there is scope for possible extension beyond March 2022. Whilst Nadim and I are grateful that Zia Nina has been awarded this grant, would the First Minister confirm whether extension can be granted in such circumstances, given that the fund is delivered in partnership with Welsh Government?

Well, Llywydd, this is a matter for Bridgend County Borough Council, but, anticipating the next question, thanks to the Member's social media publicity, I am more familiar with the Zia Nina restaurant in Bridgend than I was hitherto the case. So, I'm pleased to be able to say to him that I am told that Bridgend council officers met with the business owner and his agent on 3 March, last week, to discuss a way forward with the project. When the grant was originally awarded, it was clearly on the terms that the work could and would be completed within the current financial year, but there are reasons, to which Luke Fletcher has referred. My note says that Bridgend council officers have told our officials that they are hopeful that they will be able to support the owner's project proposals in the future and that, as a result of the meeting held between them, both parties now feel that they have found a way in which that can happen.